Friends Since Childhood
by AceTiff12
Summary: See profile for full summary. Typical theme: Two childhood friends grow up and through the obstacles of life find out that they are perfect for each other. SasuSaku. OOC. Slightly AU ? C&C appreciated. Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
1. Prologue

** Prologue**

Seven year old Sasuke Uchiha went to shuriken practice after academy classes were done for the day. He was getting better at it, he just knew it. Today he wasn't missing a single one of the ninja stars. They all hit the log and three were a bull's-eye. But of course, his older brother Itachi was perfect. He was an expert at everything. Maybe someday when he grew up Sasuke could be just like Itachi.

To either side of him were other young shinobi practicing too. They made one long row, with the adult chuunin walking along giving tips and encouragement. "You've improved a lot Sasuke," he said as he walked by the youngest Uchiha. Sasuke was proud. He had hit the center target for a total of ten times in one day.

As soon as the sun touched the horizon the chaperone called out, "All right everyone, that's it for now! Be sure to gather up your shuriken and have a safe trip home!"

Sasuke began collecting his things. Not one shot failed to stay on the log. He couldn't wait to tell his mother, who would be coming to pick him up any second.

As he placed the last tool in his bag he noticed a group of girls not too far away. One was sitting next to a log on the ground surrounded by shuriken. She had bright greenish eyes, a ribbon in her pink hair, and a sad look on her face. Another had short blond hair and light blue eyes. She was standing by the first girl's side. The other three were facing them.

"Sakura, I think it's best if you gave up on becoming a kunoichi," said the girl in the middle of the trio. She pointed to the shuriken lying on the ground. "Look, you can't even get one shuriken to stick to the target! You're making us girls look bad. It's so embarrassing!" The two girls on either side of her nodded in agreement. "Yeah, billboard brow, you need to quit!"

"That's enough!" yelled the light blond girl. "Mind your own business!" Everyone could tell that Ino Yamanaka was getting seriously ticked off. "You have 2 seconds before you become my moving targets," she said in a low voice. The three girls took off quicker than lightning. "Time's up!" Ino called, and chased them into the distance, ninja stars in each hand.

The girl with the red ribbon wiped away the tears that had started forming in her eyes. Then she saw someone's shadow in front of her. It was Sasuke.

"You know, I used to be just like you," he told her. He was remembering back when he first learned what a ninja was. At first he had felt like he would never be good enough to become a shinobi.

"R-Really?" Sakura had always thought that this boy was the best in the whole school. She wondered if he was just trying to make her feel better.

"Yeah. But my brother helped me out when he had time," he said as he helped her pick up the scattered shuriken. "Maybe I can teach you too."

"That's very sweet of you." But it wasn't Sakura who spoke. It was Mrs. Uchiha, who had just arrived to walk her son home.

"M-Mom!"

"Is this a friend of yours Sasuke? What's your name sweetie?"

"I'm Sakura Haruno, ma'am."

"Well Sakura, would you like to have dinner with us? Today we're eating outside."

"We just barely met, Mother," Sasuke murmured, but she was already leading the two kids away by the hand. She was excited to have a new guest try her cooking.

♦------------------------♦

"Where's Father?" asked Itachi.

"I'm afraid he's busy and won't be back till late at night," answered Mrs. Mikoto Uchiha.

They were all having supper outside close to the house. The small table was full of delicious food. Sasuke sat across from Itachi and the two ladies sat across from each other.

"It tastes wonderful, ma'am!"

"You can call me Mrs. Uchiha if you want, Sakura."

"_Mom sure seems to like her,"_ thought Sasuke as he grabbed a bowl of rice.

"Son, you make sure to be nice to her during your little playdate, okay?"

"I'm just gonna help her with her practice." It was hard to hear Sasuke's voice because he was stuffing his face when his mouth was full.

"Whatever you say," his mother teased. Then she leaned in close to him and said in an audible whisper, "You're planning to marry this girl one day aren't you?"

Sasuke immediately spat out all the rice he had kept in his mouth... right all over Itachi.

But instead of getting angry (to everyone's surprise) Itachi simply questioned, "So does this mean that Sakura will be my sister?"

"I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT!!!" Sasuke's face was bright red. Sakura just looked confused.

Mrs. Uchiha looked happy. "You know, I think they'd make a lovely couple―‏"

"_Shouldn't you check on the dessert, Mother?_" Sasuke said with clenched teeth in a forced smile.

♦------------------------♦

The sun was almost fully set and there were a few stars out. Supper was finished so Sasuke took Sakura over to a suitable area to practice. He gave her lots of advice, some of which he had learned from his brother. Sakura slowly got the hang of it. To keep himself busy while she trained, Sasuke brought along a packet of homework. He got stuck on the third problem. "If Ninja A tossed his kunai at a target 5 feet away, Ninja B threw hers 51 inches far, and Ninja C's traveled a distance of 3 and a half feet, how far did all the kunai go total?" he muttered the question aloud. He had barely started working it out when―

"12.75 feet," Sakura replied without breaking her concentration on the target.

"…Huh?"

"Or if they want it in inches, it's 153. Or if it wants a fraction it can be 12 and three-quarters in feet."

Sasuke blinked. Then he continued working it out on paper. She was right. "How did you do that in your head?"

"Everyone says I'm the village's smartest girl…………Hey!"

"What?"

"That's how I can repay you for all your help, Sasuke! I can tutor you! I'll stop practicing as soon as I can get one to hit the center. Then I'll check over your answers."

But the moon was already out by the time Sakura kept her promise. "It'll take me forever for me to get it right…" she apologized.

"You'll get better. It just takes time. That's how it worked for me."

"Um, then, Sasuke…can I come back tomorrow? I wanna try it with my kunai, too."

Sasuke thought about it for a while. They'd both be helping each other out, so what did he have to lose?

"…Sure." And so it was decided.

♦------------------------♦

Over the week Sakura visited the Uchihas to train. After about 10 days she felt confident in her abilities. And Sasuke found the homework easy after she taught him a few things. Soon the two friends started hanging out with each other as much as possible. Usually she would always play with him at his house. She got to know his family better that way.

"You're like the daughter I never had," Mikoto said fondly one day while Sakura was helping her knit a sweater. Although Itachi didn't really bond with her, he was polite and she admired him almost as much as Sasuke did. When she first met Mr. Uchiha she gave him a lot of praises about his young son. Sasuke was thankful because hopefully it would make his father respect him more as an individual and not compare him to Itachi all the time.

"_It's too bad we're not in the same class,"_ Sakura thought to herself once. It was recess at the academy but she had stayed in to finish up a test. The teacher had let her stay on her own because the little girl was very responsible and trustworthy.

"Sakura?"

She looked to the right. It was Ino with about a dozen other girls. "What's up?"

Ino hesitated. "Uh, well…you know Sasuke Uchiha, right?"

"Uh-huh…"

Immediately the other girls spoke up excitedly.

"Can you introduce me to him?"

"Did you spend the night?"

"I can't believe you and Sasuke are friends! And with that forehead!"

"You're sooo lucky, Haruno!"

"Is it true that his brother is even hotter than he is?!"

Ino calmed them down. When they were quiet she addressed Sakura again. "What we've wanted to say was…you know his phone number, right?"

Sakura blinked. "And what if I do?"

Before Ino could respond―

"Then you have to give it to us― no wait…you have to give it to _me!_"

"Please, oh please!"

"Hold on, wait a minute! Why are you guys so crazy over him anyway?"

They all looked at her like she lost her mind.

"Because he's cute!!!" the fangirls shrieked at the same time.

Sakura blinked again.

Ino asked, "Don't you think so, too?"

The schoolgirl had never thought about it before. Puppies were cute. So were kittens. And babies. Could a schoolmate be cute too? "Yes…" she decided. "Yeah, he's cute. But so what?" The group fell down. There was an uproar; they all yelled at her, except one.

"SHUT UP EVERYBODY!" Ino Yamanaka sure knew how to keep her peers under control. "You'll understand when you're older, Sakura. C'mon, let's let her finish her test in peace." And with that the crowd left. _"Poor, poor naive girl," _Ino thought as she closed the classroom door.

♦-----♦

In a matter of weeks the Uchiha family practically adopted Sakura Haruno. She felt like she had a second home. As for Sasuke, he felt like he had become a different person. He believed that he had a responsibility to look after her, just like Itachi did for him.

One sunny afternoon Sasuke was finally going off to do some real training with Itachi. Ever since he joined the ANBU Black Ops Itachi had been busier than ever. But now he had some spare time. Sasuke packed his bag in the house. This was going to be exciting.

"Big Brother?"

Still sitting with his backpack in front of him, Sasuke turned to see Sakura standing in the doorway.

"What is it?"

"Will you come to the park with me?"

"I can't. I'm training with Itachi today. Ask Mother to take you."

Sakura made a small whining sound and put on her best sad puppy face.

Sasuke looked at her and made a motion with his hand, indicating for her to come over.

Sakura's face changed to a look of curiosity. She ran toward him.

When she reached him he poked her forehead with two fingers.

Using his best imitation of Itachi he said, "I'm sorry Sakura. Some other time, okay?"

"…"

Sasuke closed the bag and swung it over his shoulder.

"Big Brother, why do you always do that? You jab me on my huge forehead and say the same thing every time."

"Well then, why do you keep falling for it?"

Sakura stuck her tongue out and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Hey at least I always keep my word, right?" Sasuke said, standing up.

"Yeah!"

♦-----♦

True to his promise, Sasuke took Sakura to the park one afternoon when shuriken practices were done. They played in the sandbox and on the seesaw. They spun on the miniature merry-go-round. They slid down the slide. Sasuke pushed Sakura on the swing.

When they got tired they sat at an empty picnic table to have something to eat.

"Mom's triangle sandwiches taste different…" Sasuke commented aloud.

"That's because I made them."

"Oh?"

"Mrs. Uchiha is starting to teach me how to cook a little. She even gave me her own personal cookbook."

Then they started talking about other things.

"How come I didn't see you at all yesterday, Sakura?"

"I stayed behind to watch Ino's flower presentation."

"Ino…and _flowers?_"

"Yep. Her family owns a flower shop."

"Wow. And I always thought she was too much of a wuss to say she liked girly things―"

"Don't talk about her like that, Big Brother. Ino's my best friend. She changed my life. I don't know what I would've done without her…" Sakura's voice trailed off as she thought about her past. She used to be so scared and miserable before she met Ino.

Sasuke remained silent. It was partly because he was sorry for what he said, but also because…

"_I thought __**I **__was her best friend."_

They were both quiet for a little while, but eventually the conversation resumed again.

"So did you get your grade report yet Big Brother?"

"Yup! And guess what? I got the highest marks out of everyone in the class!"

"That's great!"

"I was surprised that I did well on the written tests. I guess it was thanks to you. I showed Father and I could tell that he was proud."

"And I managed to pass the more physical exams thanks to the training you gave me. Thank you, Big Brother. I'm sure someday we'll be flying high." She looked up at the sky as she said this. "Oh look, there's a full moon tonight."

"…!" Sasuke's eyes opened wide.

"What's wrong, Big Brother?"

"My parents wanted me back home before it got dark!" He hurriedly packed his stuff. "C'mon, I'll take you home on the way."

"No, it'll take too long. You go on."

"…Are you sure?" He didn't want to leave her alone at night, but he didn't want to get in too much trouble either.

Sakura smiled. "I'll be okay."

"Do you want to come with me? I'm sure they'll let you sleep over."

"Sorry, but I have relatives arriving early tomorrow morning. Don't worry about me."

So Sasuke had no choice but to rush home without her.

It took him a lifetime to reach the entrance of the Uchiha clan's living quarters. But he still tried to waste as little time as possible.

"_I'm so late,"_ he thought to himself. He kept running but at one point he felt like he was being watched. The feeling vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Then about 30 seconds later he noticed something was wrong. There was not a person in sight. Uneasiness swept over him. None of the lights were on.

"It's still too early for everyone to be asleep…"

♦-----♦

The next morning he woke up in a hospital bed. The bright room made his eyes hurt and already he had a headache.

_ "A dream…?"_ Even as the words crossed his mind he knew that last night was no dream. He had never felt so exhausted.

Outside his room he could hear voices. "…and he was the only one spared…"

And now his tummy hurt. His whole body ached. He just felt sick all over. The only thing he did was stare at the ceiling.

"Oh! You're awake!" Two nurses entered. Sasuke sat up.

"What a horrible ordeal…" one said quietly.

The other spoke to the patient directly. "Is there anything you'd like? Do you want anything, need something?"

Of course. He wanted his mom and dad. He wanted to be at home in his own bed. He would like for everything to go back to normal. But that was all impossible now. In less than a day he lost everything. The ones closest to him were gone…except…

"Sakura…Haruno…

"Bring her here…"

She was all that he had left. The nurses went out instantly. Sasuke stared at the covers.

Somewhere around 8:00 a.m. a tired and puzzled looking Sakura was ushered in. The door closed behind her.

"What's going on…? They said you wanted to see me and it was an emergency…" She rubbed her eyes. "Big Brother…did you get hurt?"

He had to tell her sooner or later. Not only that, he had to admit it to himself as well.

"My family…the Uchiha clan…was slaughtered. Itachi killed them…"

The girl stopped rubbing her eye. Did she hear him right? What he said made no sense. Her eyes grew big and her puzzled expression was replaced by one of shock and disbelief.

"No…that's not true…you're lying……._you're lying!!_" Without another word she dashed out the door.

"Sakura!" Sasuke threw the covers off of him and found the strength to chase after her.

Gray clouds covered the sky and the air was cold but it didn't slow either of the two down. In a matter of seconds he knew where she was going. He didn't want her to be there. It would break her heart.

It started sprinkling by the time they reached the destination. But the gateway into the area of the Uchihas was covered in yellow police lines. They looked at them in silence. Two motionless streams of tears hung from Sakura's eyes. Ignoring the lines, she crawled through them. Sasuke followed suit.

The rain fell a little more rapidly. Sasuke and Sakura walked along the wet paths, each lost in their own memories. When she turned a corner Sakura stopped at what she saw. The alley was demolished. There were broken windows, torn lanterns, barred doors, and body chalk outlines everywhere. Fresh tears started forming in her eyes again. Sasuke didn't know what to say.

Sakura took off. She sprinted forward with the Uchiha survivor in close pursuit. She was heading for the place that had been like another home to her. She nearly slipped and fell a few times, but she made it. Luckily the door wasn't locked. She burst inside while Sasuke only took one step in. He stood there and watched her disappear to the other rooms.

_ "ITACHI! MR. UCHIHA! MRS. UCHIHA! WHERE ARE YOU!?!?!?"_

He could hear her sobbing far away. Was she in his parents' room? He started walking in that direction. The house was dark. Quiet. Empty. He almost forgot what it had used to look like. The door to the master bedroom was open. Sasuke approached it cautiously. Sure enough, she was in there. He went inside, but kept his distance. Sakura was kneeling in front of the bed with her head resting on top of it. She was crying quietly.

He didn't know how to comfort her. He had never seen her this sad. Next to him was a dresser that caught his attention. If he hadn't been looking down he might've missed it. Something was almost completely beneath the drawer on the floor. It looked like jewelry. Was it his mother's? Sasuke picked it up quickly and put it in his pocket.

"B-Big…Brother," Sakura sniffled. "Why, why did this have to happen…?" She didn't understand why someone like Itachi would do something like this.

"I…" His mouth couldn't form words. He went to her and kneeled down on his knees too. His eyes were glossy and moist.

At that moment she hugged him for the first time. Or rather, she clung to him. And it was because of this that Sasuke came to an important resolution.

"But, from now on Sakura, I vow…to always protect you. I will never let harm come to you." His voice grew stronger with each word. He never wanted to see her so depressed again. He never wanted to see her hurt again.

The child looked at the one she called brother. His determination made her trust him completely.

They held each other for a long time until they were ready to stand. Then they walked back to the hospital hand in hand.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter #1**

"Happy birthday, Sakura!"

"Thanks, Ino…"

"What's the matter?"

"He's late…"

"Who? Sasuke?"

"Uh-huh…"

"I'm sure he'll be here soon. He'd never miss your birthday party!" Ino reassured. _"At least he better not…"_ she added to herself.

Sakura Haruno looked around her backyard. Everyone seemed to be having fun. Everyone except herself. She was ten years old today, yet it wouldn't feel like her birthday if Sasuke wasn't there. He'd missed the games, party favors, and the main course of food. All that was left was the cake and presents.

"Sakura, dear! Come here and let me take a picture!"

"Coming, Mom!"

--

It was four minutes to three. Sasuke Uchiha was in the middle of the Leaf Village dashing from shop to shop, looking for the perfect gift. It was bad enough that he had to take so long getting dressed, but halfway to Sakura's house he remembered that he didn't have anything for her. But what to get? Clothes? A toy? Jewelry? What about his mother's jewelry piece that he still carried with him in his pocket? No. He wasn't ready to give it up yet.

The bazaar was crowded, and the young boy had to struggle quickly if he wanted to get to his destination. He entered the next small store and took a moment to catch his breath. He looked up¾ it was a book paradise. Shelves lined the walls and tables with chairs were all around the tiny room. A cashier sat behind a counter attending to a customer. He strode straight to the manga section, but remembered how Sakura preferred the kinds with more writing than pictures. Sasuke scanned the titles until he found one that the birthday girl might like.

He was about to pick it up when a sudden thought crossed his mind. Everyone knew Sakura loved to read, so what if someone already got her a book? Actually, several people may have bought her one, but that didn't mean they'd all be the same. For some reason, Sasuke wanted his present to be special, to be Sakura's favorite.

_"I'm going to regret this if I don't find something good at the next place,"_ he thought as he rushed outside. He stepped inside the mart right across the street. It had a variety of dolls and games. The boy searched carefully until he saw a small green box. Its surface was a picture of a cherry blossom tree in a grassy field. "Perky Puzzle: 150 Pieces" was written across the top. Sasuke had no doubt that this would do fine. Sakura loved to figure things out. Satisfied, he paid for the gift and went on his way. Thank goodness he still had time to find a store to buy wrapping.

--

"Alright everyone! Time for cake! Take a seat," Sakura's mother called. The party guests cheered and ran to the table. By now, Sakura was really worried.

It must've shown on her face because Ino said, "I'm sure he's on his way right now, Sakura." After everybody was seated, Mrs. Haruno left to get a match to light the candles.

_"Maybe I should wish for him to show up,"_ the girl thought. She looked at the only empty chair at the table and imagined him sitting there. The sound behind her announced the opening of the back door and the return of her mother.

"_Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Sakura. Happy birthday to you._"

Sakura closed her eyes, made her wish, and blew out the candles. After they had cake, it was time for the final event. All the kids went inside and gathered around Sakura with the pile of presents.

Meanwhile, Sasuke made his way to the party as fast as he dared. In his hands he carried the red-and-white striped box with a curly red blow on top. If he arrived too late, he'd never forgive himself.

At last, he saw it. He slowed down to a walk until he was right in front of the door. With one hand he knocked and waited. Mrs. Haruno answered it.

"Am I--?"

"No, no. We're all still here. Sakura's opening her presents. Come in."

The brand new ten-year old thanked Ino for the shoes and put them with the rest of the opened gifts. "Now there's only five left." She reached for one that had purple polka dots. "Let's see… This one's from¾"

"_Sasukeeeeee!_" many girls squealed. Sure enough, the Uchiha had just entered the room.

"Where the heck have you been, Sasuke!?" demanded the blond boy known as Naruto Uzumaki. "It is _NOT_ cool to be this fashionably late!"

"Shut it, Naruto!" Ino pointed an accusing finger at him. "I'm sure he has his reasons!"

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said as he put his gift with the other four on the floor. He was apologizing more to Sakura than anyone else. As he turned to sit down he heard her whisper "I'm glad you're here, Big Brother" to him.

While she unwrapped the polka dot box, Sasuke hoped that she would open his last. She seemed to have heard his thoughts because that's exactly what she did.

"Getting the present was partly why it took so long for me to get here…" he explained as she tore the paper away. Naruto made a quick glare at Sasuke.

"…Oh," said Sakura, when the puzzle was in her hands. She looked at Sasuke with a very sorry look in her eyes.

He could feel several more pairs staring at him, but he didn't know why. "What's wrong? You don't like it?"

"It's not that, honest! It's just--"

"No waay…." yawned a boy named Shikamaru. He rubbed his eye with one hand and said, "That looks like the exact same thing as my gift."

And sure enough, there was a green box with a picture of a cherry blossom tree in the pile of presents that had already been opened.

Naruto snorted. "Ha! Looks like you took all that time for nothing! Sucks to be you, Sasuke!"

Immediately, the same girls who had squealed pounced on Naruto like a cheetah pouncing on a deer.

Sasuke felt like he should've just bought that book after all.

--

The celebration was over, and all the guests had left except for the one who had come last. While Mrs. Haruno cleaned up, Sasuke and Sakura had a chance to talk.

"I can take it back¾ I'll get you this book I saw--"

"No, don't-- I don't want you to go through the trouble--"

"It's the least I can do to make up for being late."

Sakura gave a small sigh, but agreed. She handed the puzzle back and said, "At least you showed up."

"Let me guess. That's what your birthday wish was."

Her reply surprised him. "…Actually, no… I wished for something impossible. I believed that you'd make it; I knew you would. So I didn't have to wish for something I had a feeling would come true anyway."

"You weren't worried at all?"

"Of course I was! But… I think I need to be a little more optimistic sometimes."

"I see. So… What _did_ you wish for then?"

"If I say, it won't come true."

"Right…" He should've seen that one coming. "But if it's impossible, it won't come true anyway."

"Don't say that! If I don't give up hope, it may still have a chance!"

"All right, all right!" Sasuke said hastily. Why did girls have to be so complicated? He didn't want to start a fire, so he changed the subject. "So, what'd I miss?"

"You missed the food, but we did save you some cake!"

"…Oh." Now it was Sasuke's turn to look at her with a sorry expression.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't like sweets."

Sakura stared at him like he was crazy.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

--

The last day of March was a school day. It wasn't a regular day, either¾ it was a field trip day. Sasuke and Sakura's class was visiting the Hokage building. Naruto was the last person anyone expected to complain.

"I've been to that place hundreds of times! I don't need to learn about the old man's job because I've already decided that that's what I'll be when I grow up!"

"Then this'll be a good opportunity for you. There's a lot more to leading the village than you think," said Iruka, their teacher. "And besides the only reason you've been there so many times is because you're always getting into trouble." And so Naruto stopped whining.

The Hokage's office was located in a building in front of the mountain where all four Hokages' faces were carved. The class walked up the long staircase and through the door. They went into the office (which was empty at the time) and listened to their sensei's lesson. After that they followed him out the room and down the hall.

It was during the walk that Sasuke noticed Sakura wasn't by his side anymore. In fact, she was nowhere to be seen in the little crowd of students. Even amongst the talking, his sharp ears caught the sound of running from behind. He slipped away and began his pursuit.

It didn't take long to catch up to the sprinting Sakura. She had just dashed out the same door they had come in. Sasuke did the same and nearly crashed into her when she suddenly stopped. He was about to demand an explanation, but then he saw that they weren't the only ones on the stairs. Uzumaki was there, too. Apparently, she had seen him sneaking away and tried to stop him.

"Naruto, what do you think you're doing!?" Sakura yelled.

"Ditchin'," he replied simply.

Sakura looked speechless, as if she'd never heard the word before.

Naruto smiled. "You're such a schoolgirl, Sakura."

"And what exactly are you planning to do?" asked Sasuke.

"This trip's boring. I decided to go on a little field trip of my own: an adventure!"

"Does your 'adventure' involve ramen?"

"……..Maybe."

Sasuke shook his head. "You're such a knucklehead, Naruto. The chef's gonna ask what you're doing out of school, since he knows you so well. Have you come up with a lie already?"

"Okay, so maybe going to the ramen shop wasn't a good idea. But I'm still going somewhere¾ anywhere but here."

Sakura sighed. "Fine. Do what you want. And don't worry, we won't tell on you. C'mon, Big Brother." She turned around and put her hand on the doorknob. She looked back curiously when Sasuke didn't move.

"Sorry, Sakura," he said, "but I'm bored too."

Naruto was pleasantly surprised. "Come with us, Sakura! Live a little!"

The two boys knew that she thought nothing came before school. She would never do something like this in a million years, not even for Sasuke. Yet neither were shocked when she let her hand go.

"All right, I'm in. But just this once."

_"Hooray for peer pressure!"_ thought Naruto. "I'll lead the way." He hurried down the steps, thus beginning their journey.

"Um… Won't Iruka-sensei notice that we're gone…?"

"Relax, Sakura. And don't jinx it," Naruto answered.

They traveled into an area of the village where it wasn't so crowded. Random shops and other public places were lined up on the road. For once, Naruto was being extra cautious. Someone might recognize them in broad daylight. He led his two classmates behind a row of buildings. There was nothing but some trees, grass, plants, dirt, flowers, and wooden fences as far as the eye could see.

"This is more like it. No one will come here, and we can do whatever we want!"

Sasuke asked, "So, what should we do?"

"If only we had a blanket and a basket, then we could have a picnic!" Sakura suggested.

"No offense, but that's too girly for me," the blond student responded. "But I am hungry."

"Maybe we should go back. For all we know, they could be having lunch right now."

"I thought I told you to relax. We haven't even done anything yet. I promise that we'll head back before the field trip is over, so don't worry about it Saku¾ Ow!" An apple had hit him on the head. Looking up, he saw that there was fruit growing on the tree he was under. Sasuke was the one who had already jumped up on the branches and thrown one at him. "You could've at least warned me, Uchiha!" He picked up the apple and polished it off before taking a bite.

"Thank you," said Sakura as Sasuke came down and gave her one. All three of them found a suitable spot of grass to eat the small snack. When they were done Naruto was about to toss his core, but Sakura scolded him, saying "Don't litter!"

"Apples are part of the earth! Its seeds will make another tree, or it'll feed the birds!"

"Or you can just throw it away in that dumpster over there," Sasuke interrupted.

"…Dumpster?" said Sakura and Naruto in unison. Sure enough, behind a large bush was a dumpster. Not only that, there was a red door next to it.

The trio went and threw the apple cores away and then looked at the door. "Arcade Back Door" was labeled on it.

Naruto grinned widely. "Perfect! An arcade! We'll have lots fun in here, and it's dark inside!" And without another word, he rushed inside. Sasuke and Sakura went in as well, thankful that he hadn't slammed the door in their face.

The place was in darkness because the light was given off by the videogame systems. They saw racing games, DDR, and even logic games for Sakura. They combined their loose change and divided them up equally. The three played by themselves for a while until Naruto challenged Sasuke to a two-player fighting match. Apparently Sasuke was just as good at sparring in a game as he was in real life. After Sakura got another high score on a difficult thinking game, it was time to head back.

"Umm, wait… I have to go to the bathroom," Sakura stated. The two boys followed her, intending to wait outside the restroom door. But when they got to the back hallway, the girls' door had an "Out of Order" sign.

"Hm…" Naruto pondered. "Now that I think about it, I hardly saw another girl besides you here. Can't you hold it?"

By now Sakura was holding part of her outfit in a tight fist. "N-Noo…" she whimpered.

Sasuke suddenly took her free hand and led her further down the hall, to the boys' lavatory door. He let go to check inside. Luckily, it was empty. "Go," he said, holding it open for her. Seeing she had no choice, she obeyed.

Naruto had his mouth wide open in shock.

"Stop it, Naruto. You look even dumber than usual."

The boy shut his lips and gave his rival a quick suspicious look. They both waited patiently and hoped no one would show up needing to use the bathroom.

"I hope I never have to go in there again," Sakura declared the instant she returned.

The bright sun blinded them as soon as they came out the back exit. They shaded their eyes and moved towards the Hokage building. The adventure was over.

"It could've gone better, but at least it was something," Naruto commented. Then he addressed the girl by his side. "You know, if you want to be a ninja, there's gonna be missions that last a long time. You're gonna hafta travel through places where there aren't public restrooms. Maybe you should start learning how to use a bush."

"Eww, quit being so gross! I don't wanna worry about that now!"

In the next few minutes they were back. They climbed the stairs¾ first Naruto, then Sasuke, then Sakura. They were barely up ten steps when the latter screamed.

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!!"

The two boys turned to see what was going on.

Tiny tears were flying from her tightly closed eyes. "A wasp, a wasp! _It's right behind me!_" The most important thing to her right then was to get away from the insect. She ran blindly forward only to trip and bump so strongly into the surprised Sasuke that the two collapsed.

"Calm down, Sakura! It's flying away now!" Naruto exclaimed. She quieted down, but still looked scared.

"Sakura. You're crushing me." She didn't budge, so Sasuke carefully pulled both of themselves to their feet. She slowly opened her eyes and gradually stopped clinging to his arm.

"Well what do we have here?"

For one split second, Sasuke thought something happened to Naruto's voice, but it wasn't him who had spoken. Iruka and the class were just filing out of the door.

"Sensei! I, uh¾"

"Don't even bother, Naruto. It's awfully quiet when you're not around, but I had no idea that Sasuke and Sakura would also disappear. The field trip is over, and everyone is dismissed, but next time I want all three of you to stay after class."

Sakura's face turned pale. She had never been in trouble with a teacher before. It was Sasuke who came to her rescue.

"Please, sensei. It wasn't Sakura's fault. She wouldn't have gone if Naruto and I hadn't talked her into it."

So Iruka showed mercy on her. Once everyone had left for home, Naruto stayed behind with the other ditchers to apologize to Sakura.

"It's all right, Naruto. I had… fun," she told him honestly. "We should hang out together more often."

"S-Sure! I'll treat you to ramen next--"

"I think she meant all three of us, stupid."

Naruto's face fell in disappointment. "Oh… Right."

Sakura turned to leave. "Well, goodbye."

"I'll walk you home, Sakura," said Sasuke.

Naruto was about to interject, but decided against it. Instead he gave a sly smile and said, "See ya in detention, Sasuke."

--

Their teacher couldn't have been crueler. He sentenced Sasuke and Naruto to detention on a _Friday_. The Uchiha gave a small wave to Sakura as she and the rest of their classmates left the academy.

The punishment was to clean the whole classroom. Iruka didn't stick around to watch them; he would know soon enough whether they had done a good job. The two boys scraped off gum, washed the chalkboard, polished the seats, and so on.

After an hour had passed, Naruto spoke. "Sasuke… Can I ask you a question?"

Both of them kept their eyes on their work as they talked. They were scrubbing the floor with large sponges.

"…Yeah."

"….."

"Spit it out."

"…Do you have a crush on Sakura?"

Sasuke stopped what he was doing, but Naruto continued as if nothing happened.

"Wh… Why do you ask that?"

Naruto sat up and wiped his hands with a towel. "I dunno. You're with her a lot, always helping her… You let her in the men's room, got her out of detention, walked her home… Anyone can see that you're nicest to her."

He had a feeling that something like this would happen to him someday. But he wasn't prepared for it now. What should he do? He wasn't even totally sure about the answer himself.

"Idunnomaybe," he mumbled. He gave one final scrub and wiped his hands.

"…" Naruto just stared at him in silence, with a tiny annoying smile.

"…What? Why're you lookin' at me like that?"

"…"

"It's not what you think."

"…"

"Shut up, dammit!"

--

"Finally! I think we're done!" Naruto stretched and looked at the clock. It was just before five. They took a few minutes to put all the cleaning tools away. Then they went outside and walked until they reached the point where they had to go different ways.

Sasuke said, "See ya, then." He took a few steps and heard Naruto stop him.

"Sasuke."

He looked back at the kid, who had his back turned.

"I guess this means we're even bigger rivals than before."

"You're wrong, Naruto. I don't think I like her that way."

"Sometime in the future, you're gonna know for sure. And I'm pretty sure on what you'll decide…" And with that, the conversation was over.

The house Sasuke now lived in was very different from the one he had grown up in, but he had gotten used to it over the past three years. He made dinner and stayed up late watching television. When he went to bed, he was still thinking the same thing.

_"What if Naruto's right? What if… I do have a crush on her?"_


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter #2**

Sakura inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. She smoothed out the bottom half of her red dress nervously and stared at the door.

"You have nothing to worry about," said Sasuke. "It'll be a piece of cake."

They were standing in front of the Graduation Examination Room. Any second her name would be called because it was her turn. The others were waiting anxiously in line against the wall.

"Normally, the exams are taken by students in alphabetical order," Iruka had explained to them yesterday. "But… would anyone like to be first?"

Only one person volunteered: Sasuke Uchiha. And he passed with flying colors.

Now he was waiting to see how she would do. All academy students had worked for years to prepare for this final test. Now, at the age of twelve, their skills would be evaluated.

"Sakura Haruno."

"Good luck," he said as she stepped through the door.

There were only two judges, including her teacher. "Ah, the top girl in my class," he said.

"Good morning."

"Let's see what you can do."

First they asked her some questions, such as what chakra was. Then they had her perform several random hand signs. Lastly, she had to do the Clone Jutsu and make three copies of herself.

"Congratulations, Miss Haruno. You pass."

"Th-That's it? I made it?"

"Yep. Come get your official Hidden Leaf Village Headband."

Sakura was so happy, she almost forgot how to move. But she pulled herself together, took a headband, and bowed.

"On Monday you are to report to class as usual, only this time it's just for graduates."

"Yes sir."

Sasuke didn't need to ask how it went when she came back. "Here, help me put it on." She unraveled the red ribbon she had worn for so long. She thought about giving it back to Ino, but changed her mind. Secretly, she decided that if she ever had a daughter, she'd give it to her. Sasuke put the silver plate over her forehead and was about to start tying, but stopped when Sakura cried out, "No, no! Put it up just like my ribbon!"

"It's supposed to protect your forehead," Sasuke replied, indicating his own headband.

"I know, but this is the way I want it. It's my style." And he submitted to her request.

"That's much better. Now, let's go celebrate!"

"Um… Sure."

They walked out the academy's main entrance only to be greeted by a large crowd of people. Most were adults either congratulating their children or waiting for theirs to show up.

"Where are your parents?"

"I already told them we were going somewhere after the exam."

The crowd was so large that it would be hard to squeeze by without losing sight of each other, so Sakura took hold of Sasuke's hand and led the way. Ever since he had detention, Sasuke's heart couldn't help but beat fast whenever he and Sakura touched. Now every time they went somewhere alone, it felt like a date.

"We're here," she announced and let his hand go. They went inside a small modest restaurant. Sakura ordered some dumplings, and Sasuke ordered the fish special and a side of rice balls for them to share.

While they waited he asked her a question. "Do you remember your birthday party two years ago? The one I was late for?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"…Has, um, your wish come true yet?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then, "No. Now that I think about it, you were probably right. I don't think it will ever come true, since it's impossible. Do you wanna know what it was?"

"Sure."

"I wished that my forehead would get smaller."

"Sakura--"

"I know, I know. I shouldn't worry too much about the way I look."

Their food arrived then, so they stopped talking for a while.

After he took her home, he had his beliefs straightened out. He liked her, but he didn't want their relationship any other way than it was now. They could always be friends (or "siblings"). He would protect her forever, just like he promised. If things were to stay like this, then what could happen?

--

On Monday, everyone who had passed the final test showed up for class like they were told. Many were surprised that Naruto somehow managed to graduate, too.

Now that they were graduates, Iruka explained, the next step in their ninja career was to become a Genin and train under an experienced Jounin. Everyone was put into teams of three. Sakura couldn't help noticing that every group had boys with either one girl, or zero.

"Team 7 will be Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha--"

_"Sonofabitch!"_ they screamed in their head.

"--and Sakura Haruno."

_"That's more like it."_

Once the teams were announced, they were released for lunch. Naruto had something to say to Sakura in private.

"What's up, Naruto?"

"Uh, well, um…" He started to sweat, but kept going. "I've liked you for a real long time, Sakura. So… Will you go out on a date with me?"

An awkward silence followed, broken only by a small gust of wind. Sakura thought he was joking at first, but he was looking more serious than she'd ever seen. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but I can only see you as a friend," she said gently. "And besides, I don't think Big Brother will like it. You know how protective they--"

"But he's _not_ your brother! Hell, you're both the same age! Why do you always call him that if you're not related?"

She had honestly almost forgotten. "Because… he's always been there for me. I'm an only child, so I guess I got attached to him…" On the rare days when she hadn't seen Sasuke at all, she would come home and be surprised that he wasn't there. She had even thought about asking her parents to adopt him, but she instantly knew he would freak out and refuse. And she had no clue what her mom and dad would say.

"What are you two doing?" Sasuke asked. He was tired of waiting, and now they would be late. "It's time to go back."

In class, the Jounin were assigned to a team and sent away to get to know each other. Team 7 was the last group, but there were no more adults except Iruka. So much time passed that even he had to leave. When the new sensei finally arrived, the first thing Naruto said was, "Where the hell have you been!?"

The Jounin was a nearly fully-masked man named Kakashi Hatake. Since the room was empty, they introduced themselves right there. They didn't learn much about their teacher except that he would take some getting used to. The assignment for tomorrow was to meet in the training field for a difficult physical test. If they passed, they would all become Genin. If not, they'd be sent back to the academy.

Early next morning, the students arrived on time, but Kakashi was late again. The test was to try to take a bell from him before the alarm clock he brought struck noon. However, there were only two bells. Sakura had a feeling that she'd be the one to fail, since she was not as strong as Sasuke or Naruto.

But Kakashi was even better than the two boys combined. He easily dodged Naruto's attacks and defeated him with the simplest taijutsu. He trapped Sakura in a genjutsu and buried nearly all of Sasuke's body underground with ninjutsu.

By noon the bells were still with their original owner. Naruto had snuck off during the exercise to steal the lunches Kakashi had brought for them, but was caught. As punishment, he was tied to a stump and not allowed to eat. Kakashi decided to give them one more chance when he returned from break.

As the two teammates ate by Naruto, Sasuke had an idea. "This time, why don't we all try attacking him at the same time? We have a better chance that way."

"But who's going to get the bells?" Naruto asked. "Probably you guys. I'll be too weak and hungry to do it."

"No you won't," said Sakura, and she offered him what was left of her food. "I'm finished. You can have the rest."

"S…Sakura…" Naruto almost cried tears of joy.

"Here…" Sakura held rice with her chopsticks and fed him. A feeling burned through Sasuke that he supposed was jealousy, but he forced it away.

"Didn't I say Naruto was forbidden to eat?" a voice said, and all three graduates jumped. Their Jounin master had arrived so quickly and suddenly.

Sakura stammered, "But, but he was so hungry, and we had to give him energy so he could help us…"

"Yeah! They wanted to look out for me because--because--"

"Because we're all on the same team. We have to work together," Sasuke finished.

They thought Kakashi would yell at them, but instead he did something none of them expected: he passed them. The whole point of the test was teamwork, to try to get the bells together even if there were only two. And thus, the Genin squadron Team 7 was born.

--

"They're finally here!" Sakura exclaimed when Kakashi handed them each a photo. They were copies of the team's picture. Sakura looked forward to cherishing this treasure for years to come.

Nearly every day, the Genin would take on missions that were easy and annoying. They had to start off slow because they were beginners. Naruto would burst with glee whenever a much more exciting C-Rank mission was offered.

When they weren't on a mission, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke would sometimes train together. Sakura was starting to get sick of seeing Naruto always challenging Sasuke to a fight. The results were always the same. And what was so satisfying about being better than someone else? Sakura knew that Naruto was special and talented in his own way. That's why no two people are alike. She guessed that she'd never understand since she was a girl.

One day Kakashi had a special lesson for them instead of a mission. Sakura didn't get her hopes up; ever since she graduated she never got a chance to write or take any notes or read any textbooks. It was all hands-on tasks from now on.

"Today I'm going to teach you about chakra control." He explained that knowing how to control chakra would allow jutsu to be used efficiently. They would have to practice it until it became second nature. No obstacle would be in their way once they achieved perfect balance.

The three of them were to concentrate chakra to their feet and try to climb a tree without using their hands. On the first try, Naruto made one step and Sasuke made five. The boys knew this would take a while, but when they looked for their teammate she was nowhere in sight. They found her on the highest branch of her tree.

"I can't go any higher."

"It looks like you're a natural," Kakashi commented. "I've never seen someone make it on their first try."

Sakura's success made Sasuke and Naruto determined to get it right. She told them some advice, and by the end of the week they were comfortable.

It turned out that knowing chakra control was very useful. One day Team 7 had a normal D-Rank mission: to find a missing pet. Only two made this mission different from the others that required them to locate a missing animal. The first was that the pet was a bird, a dark-blue one with a yellow ribbon around its neck. The second was that Kakashi wouldn't be with them. Sasuke would be in command.

"The lady said the bird doesn't like to be far from home. We'll check the trees near her house first." They split up to get the job done faster, but with no results. "Let's try searching the roofs."

A quarter of an hour later Sakura and Sasuke returned to the front of the client's house as agreed. Neither of them had found it.

Naruto returned disappointed, too. "Sorry, guys… I thought I saw it, but when I threw a kunai and pinned its tail, it was just a crow. I coulda sworn it was blue…"

"Naruto, you jerk! You could've killed the poor thing!" Sakura steamed. "Next time, just grab it with your hands!"

"But what if it tries to get away?"

"Then call Big Brother quickly. The birdcage is in his backpack."

"So what're we gonna do now, O Fearless Leader?"

"There are some buildings not far from here. Let's go to the top of the tallest one, so we can get a good view."

The highest building was seven stories tall. It was the home of a large clothing company. Team 7 took the elevator to the roof. There were a few birds, but not the one they wanted.

"Guys, look, c'mere!" Sakura called.

"Good job, Sakura! You found it?" Naruto said.

Sakura was at the roof's ledge. When her teammates got there, they didn't see anything but a bird sleeping in its nest. "Do you see? She's sitting on her eggs to keep them warm. I bet the dad's getting their lunch." Sakura smiled, apparently delighted by her discovery.

Naruto put both his hands behind his head. "Uhh, Sakura that's-- what do girls call it?-- _cute_ and all, but we have a mission to focus on."

"I hate to say it, but Naruto's right. We have work to do, Sakura."

The girl blushed and bowed her head. "R-Right. Sorry."

They resumed searching the roof, then they looked over the edges to see the view below and beyond with binoculars.

"Th-There it is! I see it!" Naruto whispered as loud as he dared. The dark-blue bird was on what looked like a horizontal flag pole that stuck from the ledge where the Genin stood. It was sitting at the pole's tip, very far away. "How're we going to get it?"

"I'll do it," Sakura said. Without hesitation, she stood on the ledge and carefully started walking along the flagless pole, with chakra concentrated to her feet. She held her arms out for extra balance. The boys wanted to stop her, but they knew she was better at this than them.

"She'd make a great circus acrobat," Naruto noted.

Sasuke's response was a punch to the loudmouth's head. "Don't joke around."

Sakura got as close as she could to the bird, then leaned down very slightly. She reached out one arm and inched toward it. The others waited with held breath. The bird turned its head to the side suddenly, and they all knew that it was about to fly away. Sakura took a big risk and lunged, but it was no use. The animal spread its wings and soared. Sakura's lunge distracted her from controlling her chakra, and she fell.

"SAKURA!!" the guys screamed. Naruto was the first one on the pole, the first one to reach her, but he had to jump down to do it. Sasuke fell off and grabbed the end of the pole with both hands. Sakura grabbed Naruto's ankles and Naruto grabbed on to Sasuke's legs. They swayed there, dangling violently then slowly. It was as if they really were part of a circus.

Before anyone could speak, they saw the bird again. It landed about ten inches from Sasuke's hands. Then it hopped right in front of them and looked at his fingers curiously.

"Hurry, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. "Grab it!"

"I…can't…"

"Then let's hope that bird's not hungry, or else it'll think your fingers are worms." Naruto was only being half-serious, but soon they all watched what the pet did in horror. It started pecking and nibbling gently at the only things keeping them up. "SASUKE, I SWEAR, IF YOU LET GO…"

Sasuke let out an unexpected noise from his lips. It wasn't an "Ow" or even a "Shoo"-- it was a snicker. "It… tickles!" he laughed. One of his pinkies slipped.

"YOU IDIOT! PULL US UP, _NOW!_"

"Big Brother! I never thought I'd say this, but_ don't laugh!_ Our lives are in your hands!"

Sasuke stopped, but the bird didn't. _"I have to keep my promise to her. An Uchiha always takes things seriously." _For ten agonizing and suspenseful seconds, Sasuke struggled to pretend the tickling sensation wasn't there.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. "All right, now all we have to do--" He never got to finish because at that moment his rival let go completely, laughing his head off.

The other two screamed and let go of what they were hanging on to. They had never seen Sasuke so happy. Tears were pouring out and he couldn't stop laughing.

"You know, I really don't see what's so funny," said Naruto.

Sakura smiled nervously. "At least he'll die laughing."

"Since we're doomed, can I have a kiss?"

She slapped him just before they crashed.

Sasuke didn't know how long he'd been knocked out. He just opened his eyes and saw white. He coughed and found his voice. "…Am… Am I dead? Is this heaven?" He turned his head and saw Naruto lying a few feet away. "Oh, crap! Naruto's here! This must be hell!!"

"There you are," Sakura's voice said. Sasuke's vision was blurry, so he just lay there and waited for it to clear. He was glad to see Sakura's familiar green eyes staring down at him. The sun made her long pink hair shine. She must've become an angel. Even though Naruto was there, this had to be heaven after all.

Naruto stirred and his voice was thick when he said, "Uggh, what happened last night?"

Sakura supported Sasuke as he put his arm around her neck and shoulder. Together they stood up with just the right amount of balance. He saw that they were all on a bunch of white fluff. It had to be a miracle that they'd landed in something soft.

"Hey you kids! Outta the cart!" A man had just come out the entrance of the building they'd fallen off. He was carrying several large empty cardboard boxes. "I need to start packaging the wool you're playing in."

"We weren't playing!" Naruto argued. "And we're not kids! In case you didn't notice the headbands, we're Leaf ninja, and we should be treated with respect!"

"We're very sorry, sir," Sakura said. Team 7 carefully got out of the enormous wool-filled wagon. "We were looking for a lost pet bird."

"That bird wouldn't happen to be blue with a yellow ribbon, would it?"

Naruto stopped shaking off the sheep fur. "Yeah! You saw it, mister?"

With renewed strength, the group headed for their destination. Sasuke was sad to have Sakura let him go, but he had to be a strong leader while Kakashi was gone.

There were quite a few children in the park today. They went to the area with several trees and bushes. They had thought it would be somewhere in a tree's branches, but Sasuke spotted it on the ground. It was pecking through the grass.

"We'll get it this time!" Naruto whispered fiercely. Sasuke quietly got the cage out.

"I have an idea," said Sakura. "I won't let you down this time." She picked off a bunch of tiny berries growing from the nearest bush. She crept toward the bird until they were about one yard apart. She took a berry and tossed it right next to the critter. It hopped a little in fear, but then saw the treat. Sakura tossed two more, each landing further from the bird and closer to her. At last the pet was within grabbing range. The kunoichi held her hand out, revealing the final berry. It hopped into her hand and gobbled it up. Sakura gently cupped the bird with both hands and stroked it reassuringly.

Sasuke opened the cage's door, and she placed the bird inside.

"All right! Mission accomplished!" Naruto claimed triumphantly.

The woman who had lost her pet was delighted to see it return safe and sound. The mission made the three realize how useful chakra control was, especially when it came to them naturally.

--

Three days after the missing pet bird mission, Kakashi decided to see if they could use their technique to walk on something much less solid: water. The training would take place at the local hot spring. If they fell in, the scorching hot water would remind them to try harder next time. Hot springs were usually fun to be in at night or on a cool day, but the day they were to practice was above normal temperature. Team 7 suspected that its sensei chose this particular day on purpose. At least he gave them permission to wear bathing suits. Sasuke wore black trunks, and Naruto's were as blue as his eyes.

Even though Sakura wore a simple red one-piece, Naruto was still attacked by a small nosebleed.

Their practice area was the hot ponds outside the actual bath house. It was different from climbing trees. The water was so hot and unstable beneath their feet. Even Sakura couldn't perfect the skill on her first try. Instead, it took her two times.

Once Kakashi was confident that his pupils could handle water, he offered them a reward.

"A vacation?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"Nope. A C-Rank mission. One that I think the three of you can do on your own."

Of course, Naruto was the most enthusiastic.

--

Saturday morning was cloudy. The students of Team 7 met up at the Leaf Village Mission Headquarters. Iruka would be at the desk to explain their objective in detail. He gave them a scroll that contained a map of a jungle not too far outside the village. It had once belonged to a gang of bandits who had supposedly abandoned the hideout a few days ago. There were small black Xs all over it.

"One of the members was captured just yesterday, and he had this map on him. When interrogated, all we could get out of him was that one of the Xs was the location of a wooden chest full of silver pieces that they'd stolen from one of our village's shops. The shop will go bankrupt if the silver isn't recovered. Your mission is to locate the chest and bring it back in one piece."

A treasure hunt wasn't what they'd expect from their sensei, but a mission was a mission. Team 7 headed out immediately.

The jungle was very humid and green. Sakura kept a cautious eye out for bugs and other creepy animals. Using the map, they were able to find three of the marked places. There was no treasure hidden in them. Their fourth destination was across a river, an ideal time to use their new ability. But when they reached the giant tree, there was no wooden chest to be found near the trunk or the branches. Nor was there any sign of a spot that'd been recently dug up.

When they took a quick break, Naruto started wailing. "This is getting us nowhere. Checking the Xs one at a time will take all day and night. I say we split up."

Sakura asked, "How can we do that when there's only one map?"

"You've got a good memory, Sakura. Just study the map for a while and you'll do fine," Naruto said confidently.

She was very uneasy about separating, and the boys could tell. Before Sasuke had a chance to open his mouth, Naruto quickly added, "And you don't have to be afraid because I'll be your personal bodyguard. Besides, I always have a tough time with reading maps."

"Well… All right then." So she spent a few minutes photocopying the scroll to her mind. Then Sasuke took it back and headed one way while Naruto and Sakura went another.

"So where be our next stop, Captain Haruno?"

"It's a cave not too far from a clearing up ahead."

They dashed on, dodging the jungle's thick plants that grew everywhere. Eventually they reached a wide open space filled with sunlight. Sakura suddenly froze at the center of it.

"What is it?" But Naruto's question was answered quite clearly. Emerging from the trees all around them were men dressed all alike, wearing the same red bandanas around their necks. "Bandits?!" Naruto cried out in disbelief, but now was not the time to think. He stood protectively in front of Sakura and made a hand sign. He was eager for a fight. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

--

An unpleasant feeling swept through Sasuke as he pulled out the map to find his next location, after failing to find the chest in the last few places. It was probably nothing, but it wouldn't be wise to ignore it completely. Better to be safe than sorry, even if it did make him seem paranoid. Maybe Naruto was hitting on Sakura again. In any case, he sought out the X closest to where his teammates had headed.

As he got closer, he could sense that they were in danger. Sure enough, he spotted a group of Narutos in an open area. Several people were running into the deep jungle.

"Hey, where're ya goin'!? Had enough already!?"

"Naruto, what happened?"

"Oh, hey, Sasuke!" the ninja greeted as his clones disappeared. "You missed it! I kicked butt like a pro, didn't I, Sakura?"

There was no answer.

They looked around, but they were the only ones there.

"Oh, no…"

"Naruto…? Where's Sakura?"

The boy looked at his partner grimly. "She's been captured."

Sasuke wanted to demand an explanation but no words came. Anyway, he could pretty much guess the details. Instead, he grabbed Naruto by the collar. "I thought you were her personal bodyguard."

"Hey, we can't be wasting time arguing!"

He was right. Sasuke released his grip, and Naruto fixed his collar. Then the latter looked up and said, "What should we do?"

The other took out the scroll and unrolled it. "It's possible that they're hiding her in the same place they hid the chest."

"Should we split up? I think you can get by without a map good enough."

"No, I think we should look for her together."

"If only we'd thought to bring communication devices…" Naruto lamented.

They spent the next twenty minutes crossing out as many Xs as they could. Not one of them held the chest or Sakura.

"Hey, this one's different from the other places," commented Naruto.

"Wow, you're right again. Must be a new record for you."

The next spot they were traveling to wasn't like the rest. It usually was a tree or cave, but this one looked more like a cabin. When they got to it they saw that it actually resembled a giant cement block. All it had was an iron-barred window.

"Could this be… a prison?" And again, Naruto's question was answered for him.

"Naruto? Big Brother? Is that you?" Sakura's face appeared behind the window.

"Sakura! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, guys. I think they knocked me out with chloroform; I don't remember how I got here."

"Do you see a way out? 'Cause there aren't any doors out here," said Naruto.

"I can hardly see anything-- the only light is coming from this window. I think I can see keys hanging on the wall across from my cell, but I don't see a door… What about the roof?"

They hadn't thought about that. Ever since the missing bird incident, Naruto was a little afraid of heights, but he followed Sasuke up the side of the building nevertheless.

The roof was bare and flat. But a square outline in the corner was blending in with the pavement. It had a round ring attached, like a doorknocker.

"It's a trap door…" Sasuke lifted and pulled, but of course, it wouldn't give. "It's locked from the inside." Then they ran back down and reported their discovery to Sakura.

"I don't see one on the ceiling… Oh! It has to be over there!"

"Where?" Naruto asked.

"There's a long hallway. It's in the opposite direction of my window. There's probably a staircase at the end of it." She paused for a moment to think. "Listen, guys… we still have a mission to complete. You go on and see if the treasure is somewhere else. I'll try to think of a way out of this cell and if I do, I'll see if it's in here."

"All right," Sasuke agreed. "Then we'll meet you back here."

The boys stuck together since there were now only five Xs left. By the time they narrowed it down to two (including the jail), they were both exhausted and frustrated from running around a jungle all day. This next mark was right in the middle of a large sparkling lake with a big waterfall.

"Don't tell me it's underwater!" Naruto groaned. "Why can't it be a tree or cave like always…?!"

"Wait…" Sasuke studied the view before them closely. The water was clear enough to see through, but not all the way to the bottom floor. If it really was down there, it would take much effort to find. "Naruto, I think you're on to something again."

"Huh?"

"Follow me." Without further delay, Sasuke sprinted across the lake. He was confident that he wouldn't slip or sink-- he didn't master chakra control for nothing, after all. The Genin came to a halt right in front of the waterfall.

"Ah, I see! There's a cave behind here! With any luck, the chest'll be in there. Alright! CHARGE!"

"Ah, hold it-- Naruto!"

Sadly, the hasty ninja braced himself and charged right through the heavily falling water and immediately tripped on something hard that had struck his foot. He slid forward on his stomach, soaked. When he opened his eyes, all he could look at was Sasuke's shoes because he couldn't lift his head.

"You didn't have to just go crashing in like that. I was gonna warn you that there's a rock platform we could walk along to get behind the waterfall."

Naruto groaned, "_Now_ you tell me." He gingerly got to his feet and squeezed water from his shirt.

The cave grew darker the deeper they ventured in. Their footsteps echoed and raised dust. Just when they thought their surroundings would turn pitch black, they'd reached a dead end. They searched and searched but there was no chest.

"You… have got… to be… _KIDDING ME!_"

At Naruto's outburst, the ceiling erupted with sound. The cave filled with the angry screeching of bats.

"Damn it, Naruto! I'm getting tired of your big mouth!"

"Just shut up and run!"

The bats grew hyper over the chaos and confusion. The boys didn't stop running until they were safely off the lake entirely. They had a fair number of scratches from the flying nocturnal creatures. For a few moments they did nothing but pant.

The Uchiha stood by his theory and doubted that what they sought was somewhere underwater. "This means…" he gasped, "the silver has to be back at the prison. It's the only place left."

Naruto, with his endless supply of stamina, straightened up in a flash. "Alright. Let's save Sakura, grab the box, and get the hell outta here."

Sasuke took one last look back. The sun had disappeared behind the waterfall and the sky was rapidly darkening. One or two stars were visible already. The Hidden Leaf comrades pushed their way back toward the small building. When they at last reached the familiar area they stopped in their tracks.

It was on fire.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter #3**

"Sakura!"

The pair of shinobi didn't stand shell-shocked for long. They raced onward, intending to see if Sakura was still at the window in her cell, but they halted again once they were just a few feet away. A large square patch of grass had just risen up about five yards to their left. Four bandits popped out one by one. It didn't take long to guess that the patch had been another disguised trap door.

"There they are! Those brats we've been looking for!"

The enemies had the young ninja in a semicircle. Sasuke was about to whip out some shuriken, but Naruto stopped him with a low voice.

"Sasuke, go find Sakura. I'll handle them. You two get the chest if it's there, and we'll all escape." He created three shadow clones as he spoke.

The Uchiha decided to take his advice. As the Narutos attacked one bandit apiece, Sasuke stole away toward the still-open patch. He climbed down the ladder that was there and found himself in a dark earthen tunnel. He felt his way along as quickly as he could. His hands met another ladder, which he ascended, and pushed on the ceiling. The trap door lifted up with ease.

The room he climbed into was bright with the flames but still difficult to see in because of the smoke. Sakura coughed in surprise the second he stood up. She was sitting against the wall of her cell, wondering if the figure wasn't a hallucination.

Knowing he had little time, Sasuke scanned the room and found the keys hanging on the wall behind him. He snatched it up moments before the fire occupied its place.

"Big Brother…! Listen…" The prisoner rose to her feet and walked up to the bars where her rescuer was fiddling with the lock. "I know where the chest is-- it's disguised as the bottom stair step down the hall…" Her voice trailed off as she slid to her knees. The effort from talking didn't go well with inhaling hazardous smoke. She struggled to hold onto consciousness but her body grew increasingly numb. She blacked out just as the cell door swung open.

Sasuke didn't know how Sakura knew where the treasure was hidden all this time, but he didn't care. He had fully intended to do nothing but get the girl out safely. Then he saw the forehead protector in her hair and remembered an early lesson that was taught to every shinobi: the mission takes priority. Softly cursing under his breath, Sasuke advanced to the room's upper corner, where a hallway stretched far down left. He would use one arm to save Sakura and the other to secure the silver.

But this plan backfired as soon as he was within clear sight of the staircase. It was much larger than he'd thought it would be; each step was horizontally long as an adult's leg and too wide to grip under one arm. It was simply impossible for him to carry without using both hands.

His instinct won over his logic. With the temperature steadily rising, he had to go back for her. This was no time to think. He boosted his speed and ran back to the cell room. He scooped Sakura up in his arms and carried her bridal style to the open trap door.

The fire at his heels persuaded him to forget the ladder and just jump down. It was a rough landing; his knee was scraped and he almost dropped the pink-haired girl. His mind encouraged his feet to keep moving-- don't look back-- follow the fading light at the end of the passage.

Instead of climbing up normally, Sasuke kicked the ladder down and ran straight up. He was greeted by a cool crisp breeze and the sight of the deep blue violet sky. The building burned eerily in the darkness, almost silently. The bandits and the blond blockhead were nowhere to be seen.

To him, Sakura's condition was enough reason to not wait around. He proceeded forward to the quickest route to the village when Naruto all but collided into him. He looked quite pissed.

"I swear, those bandits are such cowards! I tried to chase 'em, but they escaped--! What's wrong with Sakura?!"

"Naruto, take the map outta my bag and lead us out. She needs to go to the hospital."

Sasuke was thankful that they didn't encounter any enemies for the rest of the journey. Though they were both exhausted, the two didn't slow down until they'd passed through the Leaf Village Hospital's entrance.

Once Sakura was taken in for treatment, they stayed in the waiting room until their young eyes could no longer remain open.

Sasuke was woken by a familiar voice hours later. It was rushed and desperate. His eyes saw that someone had put a cover over him as he slept on one of the waiting room's couches. It only took a few seconds to make out what Naruto was rambling about.

"For the last time, I'm _fine_! We just needed rest, that's all! Where's Sakura? Is she okay?"

"Relax, she's all right. Ah, Sasuke, you're up. Good."

Naruto whipped his head away from Kakashi (who was standing at the doorway, preventing Naruto from rushing out like a maniac) and watched as his rival joined them.

Their sensei continued, "I need to hear an account on what happened from both of you, but there's some things I need to let you know first. This mission would not have been ranked C if we'd known the bandits were in the area. Luckily, the ones you saw weren't the most skilled members. They had been sent to their old hideout to retrieve a forgotten item, the chest. We managed to stop the fire before it burned the whole jungle down, but everything inside the building was destroyed."

Then Kakashi asked for a report. They explained yesterday's occurrence using short, quick details.

"And? Where is the chest now?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke uneasily. He'd forgotten to ask that question himself in the panic of last night.

Sasuke bit his lip before answering, "It's still in the building, but as you said, it was destroyed by the fire." To his surprise, no one seemed angry. They didn't yell at him or blame him, for it was because of him that the mission failed.

Though they didn't object him, Sasuke still felt the need to apologize. "I know jeopardizing the mission is disgraceful but… I had no choice. It was the chest or Sakura. I'm sorry, but I don't regret what I did."

Both Naruto and Sasuke were astounded to find that their leader was in full agreement. "There's nothing to be sorry about. What's done is done. Ninja who don't follow the code are despicable, but ninja who abandon their friends are even worse than that.

"Now, let's all visit Sakura." The Jounin stepped aside to let the boys through and immediately regretted doing so. Naruto tore down the hall like a shot. Sasuke scoffed loudly.

"That idiot. He doesn't know what room she's in."

--

Sakura's eyes fluttered open when she heard the doorknob turn. She smiled happily at her visitors once they stepped in. Her two teammates each pulled up a chair beside her bed.

Naruto asked, "How long do you hafta stay here?"

"They said I can go home first thing tomorrow morning."

"That's good."

"Sakura, I need you to tell us everything that happened after they captured you."

"Right," the patient replied. Her memory was as clear as day. "I passed out from chloroform and woke up in a cell. Naruto and Big Brother found me and I told them to keep searching for the silver. A few minutes later, I heard someone coming. Two of them came in the room. I didn't know what to do, so I pretended to still be unconscious. They were talking about how no one could find the treasure chest. They were hoping that 'the others had more luck.' I knew that if you guys came back empty-handed, then the treasure just _had_ to be in the jail. We waited until there was a knock coming from the hall. One bandit left and I could hear him climb the stairs and unlock the ceiling's trap door. Something sounded weird to me, so I listened very carefully. There were _thud_ sounds whenever they touched the stair steps and a _tap_ for when they made it to the floor, but there was also a _creak_noise. It happened three times, always before the tap, one for each bandit as they descended the stairs. I thought about it and figured that the bottom step was a different material from the rest: wood. I believed it was the wooden chest. I was happy, and then the bandits started talking again. It was too dangerous to give up knowing that Leaf ninja were also looking for it. So they resorted to Plan B: burn the hideout to the ground." Sakura leaned into her pillow and panted softly, exhausted from her speech.

Kakashi had been taking accurate mental notes. He thanked her for the information and wished her good health before leaving to report to the Mission Headquarters.

The boys remained silent because they didn't want to force Sakura to speak before she could catch her breath. Once her breathing returned to its normal pace, however, they still said nothing because her eyes suddenly watered.

"It's all my fault," she whispered. "If I hadn't fainted, Sasuke could've carried the silver out of there. Now that shop's going to go out of business…"

"C'mon, Sakura, don't cry."

"It was no one's fault," Sasuke claimed. "So we failed. It's not the end of the world."

Sakura nodded and rubbed her eyes to make the tears disappear.

"Is there anything we can get you?" Naruto was desperate to make her feel better. "Do you want us to sneak you in some ramen? Actually, we could all have breakfast right here with you."

"No," Sakura smiled. "I'm okay with hospital food. But it would really cheer me up if you could do… two favors for me. One, have a doctor look you over. Two--"

"We're not injured, really! I told the front desk lady, Kakashi-sensei, and now you. It was nothing a good night's sleep couldn't heal. We don't need…" Sakura's eyes burned with intense determination, clearly telling the boy that it was for his own good. "Well… If it'll make you happy, we'll do it. Please go on."

"Thank you. Two, can you please visit the shop owner and apologize? I know it isn't our fault, but still…"

"Of course."

"And in return," Sasuke said, getting to his feet, "promise us you'll relax and not worry." He wanted to squeeze her hand, but doing so in front of Naruto would be a bit awkward.

The girl snuggled in her bed to show that she was comfortable. "Okay."

That said, the door soon opened and closed, leaving Sakura alone to rest.

They ate a quick meal in the cafeteria before getting a doctor to examine them. The only damage that was treated was a cut on Naruto's finger and Sasuke's scraped knee. When it was over, they decided to go to the headquarters to find out where the shop was.

As they made their way toward the hospital's exit, Naruto suddenly spoke. "Hey, Sasuke, I almost forgot to thank you!"

Sasuke nearly choked even though he wasn't drinking anything. Was this really Naruto? "_You're _thanking_ me_? What for?"

They had reached the exit by now. The blond Genin pushed the door open and held it for his archrival. He grinned at the look on Sasuke's confused face. "For saving the treasure."

--

The shopkeeper was a friendly middle-aged man. He appreciated the two of them for stopping by and apologizing. He had inherited both the store and silver from his late father, but was not upset to lose them.

"Now I have the chance to travel the world with my family, just like I always wanted. I'm sure my father wouldn't mind me retiring early," he told them. "And give my regards to that thoughtful girl."

Life pretty much went on as usual when Sakura was released. It would be a while before Kakashi let his students go on a C-Rank mission without him, though. The failure only encouraged Naruto, Sasuke, and even Sakura to get stronger.

Too bad they were bombarded with D-Ranks for the time being. They weren't exactly ideal ways to increase the Genins' power. Shortly after Sakura was back on her feet, they were given a babysitting mission.

The trio had to take care of a four-year-old boy while his mother went shopping.

As soon as the woman left, the kid looked like he was about to cry. Both Naruto and Sasuke were thinking that today was only going to get worse.

_"Good thing it's only for a few hours,"_ they thought.

Sakura, however, was very fond of him. "Hi, little one. Will you tell me your name?"

The child had flat messy light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He nervously played with his fingers before replying, "H-Hoshiro."

"I'm Sakura. And this is Naruto and Sasuke."

The latter nearly flinched when he heard his name. It was very rare for Sakura to refer to him any other way than "Big Brother." Though now that he thought about it, she'd never addressed him as "Sasuke" directly.

"We'll be taking care of you while your mom's away, 'kay?"

The toddler cheered up a bit.

The lady had instructed them to do three things to pass the time. They had to play with him, give him a bath, and make him lunch.

"So, what d'ya wanna play first, kid?" Naruto asked.

"Um, wait. You guys are ninja, right?"

"We sure are."

"Come here pwease, Mr. Ninja." Hoshiro took Naruto's hand and led him to his room. Sasuke and Sakura stayed behind in the living room.

"…Is it really okay to leave Naruto alone with him, Big Brother? He doesn't seem like someone who's good with children…"

"He may be dense and impatient, but I'm sure he can handle himself with just one kid. He's practically just like a kid himself. Besides, I think he's friends with the Third Hokage's grandson."

"Waaaaaaaah!" Hoshiro's sudden shriek made the pair jump. They peered down the hall where the door to Hoshiro's room stood ajar. They couldn't see anyone until Hoshiro came running out ten seconds later, sobbing Sakura's name. The poor boy clung to Sakura's leg with teary eyes and a wailing mouth.

"_There _you are, you tattletale!"

"_Ahem_!"

"S-Sa-Sakura! I, uh--"

"What on earth did you do to him?!"

"He wanted me to fight off a monster in his closet. We went inside and I pretended to be attacked by the coat he'd thought was a scary monster. He got afraid and ran to his bed and I dumped the coat on him. I was just showing him how it wasn't a monster. I thought it was funny, but he ran away like a crybaby."

"We're supposed to be babysitting, not scaring him to death," Sasuke retorted.

"There, there, everything's all right now," Sakura said comfortingly while petting his head. Hoshiro stopped crying and quickly calmed down.

Naruto knelt down to look him in the face. "Look, I'm real sorry. Let's play a game and have fun, okay?"

A small smile appeared along with the "Yeah!" that answered.

The blond adolescent stood back up and said, "So, what'll it be?"

After a few moments of thinking, Hoshiro declared, "Piggyback Race! I wanna race you, Sakura!"

"W-Wait a minute!" Naruto interrupted. "We can't race inside the house! Something might break! Can't we go in the backyard or something?"

"No, it's way too small! And since you're ninja, you can run without breaking anything!"

"Fine…"

"I wanna ride on you, Naruto. 'Cause you're small, so you must be fast. And Sakura can ride Sasuke."

_"What does he mean I'm small?!"_

"The kitchen will be the starting and finishing line," Hoshiro explained. When he was done outlining the course he began to hop onto Naruto's back.

Sasuke swayed when Sakura grabbed his shoulders. She swung a leg over his back and said, "I'm sorry if I'm too heavy, Big Brother." He didn't respond because he could barely hear her. His mind almost went blank until he remembered to hold on to her ankles. The few deep breaths he took had nothing to do with her weight.

As he walked up next to Naruto he realized he had two disadvantages. One-- his partner was heavier. Two-- he was nervous. Being in physical contact with Sakura was driving him crazy.

But it really shouldn't since it's happened before.

Hoshiro gave the signal. "On your mark… Get set… Go!"

Sasuke and Naruto took off like a shot. The route was littered with fragile objects so they really had to watch their step and maintain a fast speed at the same time. Within seconds, Naruto was starting to slow down. His dodging ability was not as easy to recover from as it was for Sasuke.

"Faster, Naruto! We're almost there!"

The kitchen was just feet away and Naruto was slightly ahead. Hoshiro started banging his ride's head excitedly. The anticipation was too much for the poor future Hokage. Just the thought of finally winning against Sasuke forced him to speed up so much that his feet couldn't stay in control. In no time, Naruto tripped and fell right on his face.

_"That klutz… I actually feel bad for him,"_Sasuke thought as he leaped over the unlucky loser and crossed the imaginary finish line.

"That was fun!" Sakura squealed, slipping off of her friend. He was panting and sweating a little bit, so she placed a hand on his shoulder and asked if he was okay.

"Yeah… Just need to catch my breath."

"Naruto, you lost!" Hoshiro scolded. "Bad piggy! Bad piggy!"

"DAMN IT!!!"

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled. "You're not supposed to cuss like that in front of little Hoshiro!"

The boy wasn't too upset over either the bad word or the fact that he lost the race. So the four spent some time playing other games that didn't put the house's breakable belongings at risk.

They had just finished another board game when the toddler's stomach growled audibly.

"Sounds like it's time for a bath and lunch," smiled Sakura.

Hoshiro _was_hungry, but he hated bathing. But if it was a nice girl like Sakura who would do it, then he supposed it wouldn't be too bad.

He put the game away in his room but was surprised to only find Sasuke and Naruto waiting for him back in the living room. _They _were the ones giving him a bath? Not without a fight, they wouldn't.

"But I don't wanna take a bath!"

"Oh, c'mon! You wanna eat, don't ya?"

"Then I want Sakura to clean me!"

"She can't; she's a girl!"

_"Actually, that's not really a convincing reason, Naruto."_

"Besides, she's the one who's cooking right now. Now, the sooner you get in, the sooner you can get it over w-- HEY! Sasuke, get the water running! I'll catch 'im!"

Naruto chased Hoshiro all over the house as the bathtub filled with water. He managed to trap the toddler with a shadow clone. The little prisoner was carried, stripped, and forced into the water. Naruto, soaked from Hoshiro's struggles, dried off with a towel. Sasuke, not wanting to get wet, wore rubber gloves and started washing Hoshiro with the soapy washcloth. The kid complained about wanting bubbles, but Naruto couldn't find any in the drawers or cabinets.

Since a lot of water had been splashed out, Sasuke added more. Hoshiro started to look red soon after, and his face looked weird, as if he was holding his breath. Sasuke continued scrubbing, but suddenly, the older boys realized he was in pain for some reason. Before either of them could question it, the child was dashing out the bathroom, calling out Sakura's name over and over.

Sasuke was the first to follow, and poor Naruto slipped on the now wet floor. _"Why am I always falling down?"_he thought tediously as he caught up. In the kitchen, Sakura had Hoshiro all wrapped up in the bottom half of her red outfit.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"The-- water's-- too-- hot!" he cried. "I can't take it no more!"

"Geez, you guys…"

So this time the Uchiha made sure to check how hot the water was before he turned the knob. Everything went right, but they almost got soap in his eyes. As soon as Hoshiro was dried, Sakura announced that the food was ready.

Sasuke and Naruto were forced to sit next to each other because Hoshiro wouldn't let either of them sit next to Sakura. The meal wasn't bad and it was just about time for Hoshiro's mom to return.

"Ow!" the child exclaimed, dropping his chopsticks. He put his hand in his mouth and pulled something out. Naruto nearly spit out what he was drinking.

Hoshiro swallowed and showed what was in his hand: a small white tooth. "It finally came out!" he cheered.

"That's great, Hoshiro! Is this your first one?" Sakura asked.

"Uh-huh!"

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief; he'd thought there was something wrong with the food.

"I can't wait to show Mama!"

"Show me what?" a young woman asked as she stepped into the kitchen carrying several bags. Her son showed her the tooth and told her how much fun he had today.

Sakura offered to help the lady put away the groceries and forced her teammates to participate as well. It wasn't that bad because she rewarded them with tips.

Their job done, the three left the house and waved back.


	5. Discontinued

As of now (after a little over 2 years, _seriously?_), this fanfic is officially discontinued. However, if it _had_ continued, it would've gone something like this…

Chapter 4: Sakura is summoned by a young girl who had helped her out long ago. It's time for Sakura to repay the favor. Her little friend wants to sneak out to the movies, but can't until her homework is done. Sakura, not wanting to break a promise, reluctantly agrees to do the girl's homework. All goes well until a woman catches Sakura in the girl's room. Sakura, homework in hand, flees. She runs past Sasuke and Naruto, quickly asking them to stall the woman chasing her. She runs to the theater, but just as she reaches the door, the woman (along with the boys) catches her. It turns out the woman was only the girl's tutor.

Chapter 5: Naruto "borrows" a box of energy drinks from his special training teacher, Jiraiya. He gives a few to Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the guys. Only it turns out the drinks were actually alcoholic. After waking with a massive hangover, Sasuke is shocked to find Sakura asleep in his bed. He can't remember last night at all. He fears the worst, but both of them are fully clothed in their pajamas. It turns out Sakura had went to his place last night because she was frightened of yesterday's terrible storm.

Chapter 6: Years pass, and the ninja gang are 17 years old. It's time for Spring Break! Sakura leaves with her family on vacation. She promises to call her big brother Sasuke every day she's away. But one day, she doesn't. The next day, she doesn't call. Nor the day after that, and so on until Spring Break is over. Sakura returns, but she isn't the same. She avoids everyone except her closest friend, Ino. When Sasuke keeps pressing her to tell him what had happened over Spring Break, she yells at him. Naruto and Sasuke decide to ask Ino in private if she knew what was wrong with Sakura. It turns out Sakura had went to a party with some locals and a few Hidden Leaf Village teens. She was raped at the party.

Chapter 7: Sakura does not want Sasuke and Naruto's help or pity. Sakura leaves the village with the Hokage, Tsunade, on a training trip. The Chunin Exam is coming up. Sakura and Tsunade return just in time. Sakura has her hair cut short. It turns out her opponent is the same guy who had raped her. She kicks his ass. At the end of the match, Sakura feels much better and is able to move on. She turns to Sasuke for a hug, but right before he gives her it, Sasuke throws the guy a mighty punch in the face for good measure.

Chapter 8: It almost Coming of Age Day! The ninja gang are turning twenty! Just before the festival, Naruto receives a confession from Hinata. Naruto encourages Sasuke to confess his feelings to Sakura, that he should be brave like Hinata. Sasuke plans to confess during the festival, but can't. Every time he hears Sakura call him "big brother," he thinks that's all Sakura will ever see him as. About a week after the festival, Sakura decides it's time to move out of her parents' house. She asks Sasuke to help her pick out an apartment. They sit and talk on the couch of an empty apartment's living room. Since Sakura is sitting so close to him, Sasuke can't help himself anymore. He kisses her. Sakura is surprised at first, but she doesn't push him away. In fact, she kisses him back. They are interrupted by Sakura's cell phone ringing. When she hangs up, Sasuke decides now is as good a time as any. He confesses to her and gives her something he's always carried with him wherever he went: his mother's necklace (refer to Prologue). And they lived happily ever after. The end.


End file.
